Murders and marriages, drama and divorces we look back at the best bits of a telly institution.
On February 19, 1985, EastEnders burst on to our screens with a bang as Den Watts, Arthur Fowler and Ali Osman forced their way into the home of neighbour Reg Cox to find him slumped unconscious in a chair.
Seven million of us tuned in for the opening episode and the show’s gritty portrayal of life in the East End of London has made it essential viewing for soap fans ever since.
As the show celebrates 30 years on screen with a dramatic conclusion to the “who killed Lucy Beale?” storyline and a special live episode on Friday, we take a look back at 30 of the soap’s most memorable moments.
1985 His appearance in the opening moments of the first episode guaranteed Reg Cox a place in soap folklore, as well as many a pub quiz. He was killed by “nasty” Nick Cotton.
1986 On Christmas Day, Dirty Den got revenge on wife Angie for having lied about having six months to live. His festive gift was to serve her with divorce papers. The episode drew in 30.1 million viewers, the biggest rating in soap history.
1986 In the same episode, Arthur Fowler had a breakdown, smashing up the front room after being caught stealing the Christmas Club money.
1988 Some of the show’s biggest storylines have made for uncomfortable viewing. In 1988, a controversial scene saw Kathy Beale brutally raped by wine bar owner James Willmott-Brown.
1989 Trouble followed Den Watts like a shadow. In 1989, his dodgy dealings went too far and he was lured to the canal to meet Michelle, only to be ‘murdered’.
1990 Having heard his ‘Ma’ had won £1,000 on bingo, Nick Cotton returned as a born-again Christian and tried to kill Dot with a poisoned shepherd’s pie.
1991 When Ricky and Sam ran off to Gretna Green to tie the knot, they had Grant, Phil and Peggy Mitchell in pursuit. They arrived too late, after Sam had said: “I do”.
1992 Happiness rarely lasts long in Albert Square and so it was when Mark Fowler married Gill Robinson. As the pair headed off for their honeymoon, Gill managed only one night before dying from AIDS.
1993 Pauline and Arthur Fowler always seemed to have the most stable of marriages, so when Arthur had an affair, it came as a huge shock to viewers. When Arthur confessed, his wife hit him with a frying pan.
1994 In October, ‘Sharongate’ reached its climax when the truth about Sharon Mitchell’s affair with her husband’s brother Phil came out in the middle of The Queen Vic. Well, if you are going to confess all to your best mate, you should make sure it’s not on tape.
1996 It’s fair to say Ian Beale has not always had the best taste in women. Take Cindy who, panicking that David Wicks was going to end their affair and angry that Ian had got custody of their children, hired a hitman to bump Ian off. Unsuccessfully.
1996 Just before Christmas 1996, Peggy Mitchell learned she had breast cancer in what proved to be one of the show’s most moving and sensitively handled stories. Sadly, the cancer returned less than three years later and she underwent a mastectomy.
1998 New Year’s Eve 1998 was one that the residents of Albert Square will never forget. When Tiffany discovered Grant was planning to escape with baby Courtney, she dashed after him, only to be run over by Frank Butcher’s car.
1999 What to do with a problem ex on Valentine’s Day? If you’re Steve Owen and your ex is a bunny-boiler like Saskia Duncan you’ll clobber her over the head with an ashtray and then let innocent Matthew Rose stand trial for her murder.
1999 While pregnant by boyfriend Dan Sullivan, Carol Jackson found he’d been having an affair with daughter Bianca. A bitter showdown was followed by Carol aborting Dan’s baby and leaving Albert Square.
1999 Another car accident saw Grant Mitchell’s departure in 1999. While racing away from a botched drugs deal, Grant lost control of the car when Phil pulled out a gun. After the pair plunged into the Thames, Phil was rescued but Grant was presumed dead.
1999 Ian Beale’s tricky romantic life continued with a marriage that didn’t see the day out. When Mel Healy found out that Ian had lied about Lucy having cancer, she was away from Walford in the first available taxi.
2000 Frank and Pat’s relationship was on and off more times than the covers at Wimbledon but it was very much on when Frank stripped everything off on Pat’s doorstep save for a spinning bow tie. How could a girl resist?
2001 Lucy Beale’s murder is certainly not the first whodunnit on Albert Square. The most memorable of modern times was “Who shot Phil Mitchell?” which continued Phil’s bad luck with hand guns (he was shot again in 2014). The answer to who shot him on this occasion was his then girlfriend Lisa.
2001 Zoe Slater had grown up thinking blowsy Kat was her older sister. Until a row erupted over Zoe’s plan to live with Uncle Harry. Then the truth emerged Kat had been sexually abused by Harry and become pregnant aged 13, giving her an instant answer to Zoe’s refrain: “You ain’t my muvva.”
2003 Den Watts made a daft return to Albert Square. He was killed again (to mark the soap’s 20th anniversary) by the ‘Witches of Walford’ Chrissie, Sam and Zoe.
2003 Two of the show’s best-loved characters, Kat Slater and Alfie Moon, finally made it up the aisle and celebrated with a knees-up in The Queen Vic. The harmonious pair will live happily ever after. Yeah, right.
2004 Janine Butcher, the most cunning of all EastEnders’ villainesses, plots with secret lover Paul Trueman to rip off gullible Barry Evans with a New Year wedding in Scotland and ends up pushing him down a mountainside.
2006 The rom-com between hapless Honey and bumbling Billy turns to poignancy when Honey goes into labour on their wedding day and gives birth to a Down’s syndrome girl.
2007 Misfit Stephen Beale sets out to have his revenge on dad Ian by convincing him late wife Cindy is alive. Ian’s current wife Jane is shot and Stephen then tries to murder grandma Pat.
2008 Serial adulterer Max Branning just can’t help himself when his son’s fiance keeps wearing short skirts around the house. His affair with Stacey Slater results in wife Tanya burying him alive in the woods.
2010 In its most controversial storyline ever, Ronnie Mitchell swapped babies with an unknowing Kat and Alfie after the tragic cot death of her own. The storyline received a huge amount of flak and was cut short a few months later.
2012 We felt sorry for him when he was being bullied by Stella but Ben Mitchell proved to be a boy destined to follow in his father’s footsteps when he killed Heather Trott.
2014 The Carters move in to The Queen Vic with more secrets than MI5 and plans to repeat many of the storylines of the previous 29 years. The most hard-hitting is Linda’s rape by Dean.
2014 Bad girl Lucy Beale makes one enemy too many, but who?
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